Justice: Melancon’s trip to big leagues started rough

OK, Mark Melancon, tell us the story about the van. You remember the van, don’t you?

No one forgets his first van. Even when it feels like it came along in another lifetime.

In 2007, Melancon had just pocketed a nice signing bonus from the Yankees and was in Tampa hoping to jump on the fast track to the big leagues.

That was before a surgeon rebuilt his right elbow and way before the Yankees kept sending him back to the minor leagues as he searched for consistency.

It was also before the Yankees traded him to the Astros last summer in another reminder that this whole thing is a business and one that can get ugly.

Anyway, during that first spring in Tampa he found himself miles away from his Colorado home and needing wheels. What happened after that is something he can tell the grandkids about somewhere down the road.

“I didn’t have a car and my roommate didn’t have a car,” he said. “So we started looking through the classifieds at used cars.”

Being a cautious sort, he wasn’t going to throw his money at any old clunker.

“I thought, ‘Shoot, let’s rent a car for a day and go check out some of these cars,’ ” he said. “The first place we went had this old beat-up van. It had holes in the bottom. You could see the street while you’re driving. There were holes in the roof, too.”

It was love at first sight.

“It was a classic,” he said. “We bought this thing for $350 and used it to go everywhere for a couple of weeks. It was the getaway car for all the guys in the hotel.”

When spring training ended, he donated the van to Cars for Kids and figured he had spent $350 wisely.

Plenty has happened since Melancon bought that van. He has had some disappointments and maybe some doubt.

Expanding repertoire

Maybe there’s some silver lining in all of this. Maybe he wouldn’t appreciate what he has become if he had been one of those overnight successes.

The Astros have given him the opportunity to pitch regularly in the big leagues, and Melancon, 26, has taken advantage of that opportunity to harness his 95-mph fastball, polish his off-speed pitch and develop a cutter.

Mainly, though, he has gotten the opportunity to work and build confidence.

In 46 appearances since he was acquired in the Lance Berkman trade last July, he has compiled a 2.38 ERA. In eight appearances since closer Brandon Lyon went on the disabled list, Melancon has converted three of four save chances with a 2.08 ERA.

“It feels good to have success,”’ he said, “but as soon as you start to get too high on yourself, you get knocked back down in the game of baseball. Everything you’ve done prior doesn’t matter. It’s what you’re going to do today and here on out.”

From the moment Melancon arrived, it was that blazing fastball that turned heads.

“When you think of him, you think of the stuff that he has — being able to elevate the fastball and get it by hitters,” manager Brad Mills said. “He showed at times last year how good he can be.”

And there’s this from pitching coach Brad Arnsberg: “He really opened our eyes. I didn’t realize what we were getting until I saw him throw his first couple of times. Tremendous fastball.”

Melancon put the finishing touches on his repertoire by staying in Houston a month after last season and working on a cut fastball that breaks away from righthanded hitters and into lefties.

“It’s just a different look,” he said.

His professional career got off to a tough start when he sat out the final four months of his junior season at Arizona with a sore elbow.

Worth the risk

The Yankees took him in the ninth round of the 2006 draft, figuring that even if he needed surgery he was worth the risk.

He missed the 2007 season and made his big league debut in 2009. He was in 15 games over a 15-month period.

“I just don’t think I pitched well enough to stay up,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. New York’s a place where you have to be on your ‘A game’ at all times. I showed glimpses of that, but I wasn’t consistent.”

And then came the trade to the Astros.

New environment

“It was just kind of shocking,” he said. “I don’t guess you ever picture getting traded, but in today’s day and age, it’s definitely a reality. Five minutes after getting told, I was excited. I realized how good a situation it would be.’’

He has taken advantage of the situation, and he seems to figure into the long-term blueprint of a franchise trying to get back on its feet.

“Going through something like that makes you realize how much you love the game,” Arnsberg said.

Melancon said he appreciates every moment, every opportunity to pitch. He never stopped believing in himself, but there were times when the ride was rough.